The present invention relates generally to clips for retaining rods associated with vehicle closures.
For vehicle closures that open by swinging upward, it is usually desirable to provide some type of mechanical assistance for opening and holding such closures in an open position. For example, a torque rod counterbalance system may be employed since it is a cost-effective and reliable type of counterbalance system, and also because it is not susceptible to temperature variations as are other types of counterbalance systems.
One place where such torque rod counterbalance systems may be employed are passenger car deck lids that cover trunk openings. The torque rod engages the deck lid hinge and is pre-loaded with torque to counterbalance the weight of the deck lid and allow for initial lid movement upon release of a latch. One or more torque rods may be employed to engage the pair of deck lid hinges. The nature of torque rod counterbalance systems traditionally require the torque rods to be installed after the vehicle paint process is complete and the vehicle is in a general assembly area for further installation of other components. This is done because, if they are wound up (pre-stressed) in position prior to (and during) the vehicle painting process, the torque rods will lose some of the initial toque pre-stress due to the heat of the paint process. Also, it is undesirable to create stresses in the deck lid prior to (and during) paint processing, which can occur if the torque rods are pre-stressed during paint processing.
On the other hand, there are assembly process reasons that make it desirable to mount the torque rods to the vehicle prior to paint operations. Since it is still desirable to assure that the torque rods are not pre-stressed during paint operations, some means to retain the unstressed torque rods in position in the vehicle during paint operations is desired. Preferably, this means is relatively simple, quick, reliable and inexpensive since the torque rods will still have to undergo final assembly steps where they are wound up (pre-stressed) and engaged with the deck lid hinges after the paint operations are completed.
Some have attempted to provide such a means by employing a positive retention torque rod retaining clip. These clips typically include tabs that are plastically bent (crimped) to retain the torque rod in position during paint operations. But these devices are undesirable in that they require a relatively high insertion force and have been known to accidentally release the torque rods prior to being assembled to the final vehicle location. Thus, the clips tend to be less reliable as a retention method than is desirable. Also, the clips may be out of position at the time of torque rod insertion, so a two-hand operation (one to hold the clip in the correct position and one to hold the rod) is needed.